Monthly Report
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Monthly Report ACMS Table of Contents United States………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……………………………………………………… 1 United Kingdom………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...……………………………………………………… 2 France……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………3 Germany ……………………………………….………………………………..……………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………..…….4 Russian Speaking Area……………………………………..……………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………5 Latin America…………………………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………6 Additional Topics…………….…………………………………………………………………..…………..………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………. …7 UNITED STATES 1 Jewish Man in Nevada Stabbed by Attacker Shouting “Heil Hitler” A man outside a bar in Nevada performed the Nazi salute and yelled “Heil Hitler” before stabbing a Jewish man in the head who denied his request for money. The assailant was arrested and charged with attempted robbery, battery with a deadly weapon, battery on a police officer, and obstruction. An investigation into the attacker’s motivation is underway and further charges could be forthcoming. Antisemitism in the “Black Lives Matter” Movement and Protests Instances of antisemitic rhetoric and vandalism, along with the spread of antisemitic conspiracy theories, have seeped into the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in various aspects since mass protests began following the murder of George Floyd on May 25th. • Synagogues and Jewish Owned Businesses Vandalized and Looted During Protests Several kosher stores, synagogues, religious schools, and Jewish-owned businesses have been targeted, vandalized, and looted throughout the US during various BLM protests. So far, the most notable instances of this occurred on May 30th in Fairfax, California, when riots and mass looting broke out throughout areas of LA. Melina Abdullah, the lead organizer of BLM in LA, has a history of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, and is a longtime supporter of antisemite and Nation of Islam leader, Louis Farrakhan. During the riots, synagogues were tagged with graffiti saying “Free Palestine” and “F**k Israel,” and reports have emerged of protestors chanting antisemitic slogans, such as “F**k the police and kill the Jews.” • Israel Being Blamed for Death of George Floyd in Spread of Revamped Conspiracy Theory An established conspiracy theory claiming Israel is responsible for police brutality due to joint training exercises has been repurposed in various ways for the current BLM movement. The claims have spread globally across social media and blame the death of George Floyd on various branches of Israeli security forces. Pro-Palestinian and BDS activists have used the claim to coopt the BLM movement by claiming the technique used to kill Floyd was tested and used on Palestinians. In one example, the USCPR, which represents pro- BDS groups across the country and has more than 50K Twitter followers, tweeted, “The Israeli military trains US police in racist and repressive policing tactics, which systematically targets black and brown bodies.” In another, Charlotte Greensit, the new editor of the New York Times, tweeted “Israel security forces are training American cops despite history of rights abuses.” • Additional Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories Gain Popularity on Social Media A range of conspiracy theories have gained renewed popularity during the BLM movement. They include: o The claim that Jews financed, orchestrated, or perpetuated the slave trade for profits. o Claims that George Soros is behind the BLM protests by orchestrating or staging Floyd’s murder, paying and transporting protestors, or stashing bricks to be used as weapons. o The claim that Black people are the ‘real’ Jews and that ‘current’ Jews are imposters who stole their heritage in order to control and enslave them. 2 United Kingdom Man Arrested for Attempted Murder after Stabbing Rabbi in Stoke Newington On June 12th, an Orthodox Rabbi was attacked and stabbed in broad daylight while standing outside a bank. The assailant has been charged with attempted murder while an investigation into whether the attack was antisemitically motivated is underway. Labour Leader Sacks MP for Sharing Article Containing Antisemitic Conspiracy Theory Sir Keir Starmer has relieved shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey for retweeting an interview with actress and Labour supporter Maxine Peake, in which she claimed “The tactics used by the police in America, kneeling on George Floyd's neck, that was learnt from seminars with Israeli secret services.” In response to the incident, Long-Bailey has since claimed she didn’t mean to “endorse all aspects of the article.” Keir Starmer has stated tackling antisemitism is his “first priority” as party leader. Ex-Labour Member Jackie Walker Makes Antisemitic and Racist Remarks about the Holocaust A former UK Labour party member recently expelled for antisemitism retweeted a conspiracy theory article which minimized the significance of the Holocaust and claimed people only cared about the genocide of the Jews because the victims were ‘white.’ Walker claimed Holocaust atrocities receive more awareness than those committed during slavery “because it’s white lives that matter duh!” Two Teenagers Convicted of Violent Antisemitic Attack On June 26th, two brothers from Hackney, aged 15 and 16, were charged with racially aggravated assault for attacking a Rabbi on November 29th, 2019 in Stamford Hill. According to reports, the boys targeted the 54-year-old victim for his appearance and shouted, “dirty Jew” and “kill the Jews” as they punched, kicked, and threw him to the ground. Both boys will return to court on July 21st for sentencing. Far-Right Extremist Couple Jailed for Belonging to Neo-Nazi Group A former "Miss Hitler" pageant entrant and her partner have been jailed for belonging to the extreme right-wing neo-Nazi group ‘National Action.’ According to a statement issued by the West Midlands Police, the June 9th sentencing comes after Alice Cutter, 24, and her partner Mark Jones, 25, were convicted of membership of a terrorist group at a trial in March alongside Garry Jack, 24, and Connor Scothern, 19. National Action became the first far-right group to be banned under Britain's terror laws in December 2016. It is a criminal offense to be a member of the organization, which has been described by the country's Home Office as "virulently racist, antisemitic, and homophobic." Government Investigating Top Firm over Ties to Palestinian Terror The government is proceeding with a probe into PricewaterhouseCoopers’ PwC Global Network on suspicion of enabling a Palestinian terrorist organization. The firm has been accused by the group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) for violating OECD guidelines by providing accounting services to two organizations with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The UK National Contact Point, which is responsible for promoting OECD guidelines, issued a decision on June 16th that the charges “merit further examination.” FRANCE 3 French Constitutional Council Declares Hate Speech ‘’Avia Law” Unconstitutional The French Constitutional Council, the highest constitutional authority in France, blocked large portion of the “Avia Law,” which was adopted by the National Assembly on May 13th. The Avia bill required social media platforms and search engines to remove “manifestly illegal content” within 24 hours of it being reported, risking fines of up to €1.25 million. The Constitutional Council noted in its ruling that the measure put the onus for analyzing content solely on tech platforms without the involvement of a judge, within a very short time frame, and with the threat of hefty penalties. The court said this created an incentive for risk-averse platforms to indiscriminately remove flagged content, whether or not it was clearly hate speech. The law’s provisions “therefore infringe upon the exercise of freedom of expression and communication in a way that is not necessary, suitable, and proportionate,” the court said in a statement. The controversial text had crystallized harsh criticism from politicians and activists on both the left and right who called the bill liberticidal. Strong anti-hate speech laws already exist in France, often with criminal penalties. ‘Dirty Jews’ Shouted at Paris Rally Against Racism Some French anti-racism protesters were heard shouting "dirty Jews" while others were seen holding up placards reading "Israel, laboratory of police violence" and waving Palestinian flags at a rally in Paris's Place de la République. In light of the Black Lives Matter rallies, tens of thousands of racial justice protesters took to the streets to protest the death of Adama Traoré, a Malian French man who died in police custody in 2016. Some groups on the far- left have took advantage of the Black Lives Matter movement to demonize and delegitimize Israel. European Court Rules Against France In BDS Case, Setting A Significant Precedent European Human Rights Court (EHCR) ruled that a French criminal conviction against BDS activists had no sufficient grounds and violated their freedom of expression. Eleven members of the BDS movement in France were charged after displaying Israeli-origin products and urging clients not to buy them at a store near Mulhouse on two occasions in 2009 and 2010. In 2015, a French Appeal court found them guilty of inciting people to discriminate against products from Israel and